Nightshroud: Beasts of Darkness
by DestinyLegend04
Summary: Nightshroud is an entity of darkness, an emissary of the Dark World. However, he is dangerous in different ways, and now that he has changed a peaceful boy into a deadly Duelist, Darkness shall reign and thunder will crack when the three Beasts are awoken. Rated M for swearing, may have upsetting scenes but probably not. OC/? Vote on profile poll!
1. Episode Prologue: Darkness Beginnings

**This is based on a 'What-If' no-one has tried before, I think. It takes an OC and puts him in as Nightshroud, and attempts to correct some of the plot holes surrounding Nightshroud as a result. Don't worry; he'll still be the lovable Magnificent Bastard he is. Or am I talking about Yami Bakura? Eh, doesn't matter. **

-YUGIOHGX-

_**Nightshroud: The Beasts of Darkness**_

_**Episode Prologue: Darkness Beginnings**_

-YUGIOHGX-

"Yes...Yes! It's working!" Kagemaru shouted as the various duelists vanished in shadows, being taken in by the three Beasts sleeping in the depths of the school. Even now, he could see the silhouette of Raviel, roaring and swallowing more students. Once that was done, Raviel disappeared once again into the depths.

"Just a few more and this dorm will be dry, Kagemaru," Amnael warned, and Kagemaru looked at the students, noticing that only one was standing; Atticus Rhodes. His machine-bound form made over to the third year, and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him upwards, unaware of a dropped mask.

"Why aren't you being absorbed, hmm? Answer me!" Yet Atticus refused to answer, and Kagemaru allowed electricity to surge through the arm, shocking the student. Nearby, a first year Slifer was crouching; being only a lad of fourteen, dark energy was fuelling Raviel, who was eating it slowly.

The boy himself was nothing rather spectacular; being of average height and having black hair and eyes, he was shivering as his life force ebbed away. He saw Atticus dropping the mask, and he was filled was anger. He struggled to get up and launched himself at Kagemaru.

"Leave him alone!" He shouted, as Kagemaru was forced to drop Atticus and slam the Slifer into the ground, being granted pain as a result, the mask only several feet away.

"How dare you, Slifer scum! Very well, because of that, you will be the first to go!" The boy screamed as more energy flowed out of his body, and Atticus vainly tried to get up.

"S-stop!" He said tiredly, before he gave up and fell back into the ground. As the kid's vision began to fade, a voice became frighteningly clear to him.

_**{**__**Do you wish to take revenge...?} **_A sinister voice sounded, bearing a slight resemblence to a snake's tone. He vaguely tried to find the source before laying his eyes on the dark mask, now pulsing with energy.

'_Yes...' _The boy answered without hesitation. The darkness seemed pleased and it began to filter into the boy's body; instead of being draining like the other, it felt warm, and comforting.

_**{If you wish to do so, place my mask on your face, and you will gain great power...} **_the snake voice hissed, and though the boy was distrustful, it was his only chance. He grabbed the mask and began to edge it towards his face.

'_I don't have a choice either way...' _And as he slipped it on, Atticus noticed the action with a shocked look before forcing himself up.

"No! Don't put it on!" But alas, the mask was already secure, and a pillar of darkness emitted from the prone Slifer. Kagemaru moved his machine backwards in shock, off of the student, and Amnael, who prepared his Duel Disk if necessary.

The boy, Ryan Wicker, screamed as the darkness seemed to impose on him, forcing itself into his personality, altering it to its needs, and his clothes changed in the darkness, even as Atticus saw another student lost to the power of Nightshroud.

When the darkness cleared, Ryan was now wearing a tight-fitting overcoat with raised shoulders and waistline, which was coloured black with gold and green lining. A strange and compact scythe-like Duel Disk was afixed to his left arm. He was silent.

Everyone was on edge, even Kagemaru. But that was before the laughter. It began as a low chuckle, before evolving into a fully-blown frenzied bellow.

"Well, that was...interesting to say the least," Ryan said with a smirk, and he turned to Kagemaru, with Darkness leaking off of him.

"Who...who are you...?" Amnael said, even as the dark aura took the shape of a dark dragon, roaring into the cavern.

"My name is Ryan Wicker, but you may know me as 'Nightshroud'," The newly-christened Nightshroud said. He turned to Atticus, who was on the ground, and looking up at him.

'_Hmm...' _ He turned his attention back to the phantasm of Raviel, now looking at him with distain. Behind his mask, he narrowed his eyes and felt darkness expunge itself from him, forming a dragon aura.

"What is your purpose here, then, Nightshroud?" The question from Kagemaru made Nightshroud cock his head. He grinned evilly.

"Hmm...that depends on the person. Sometimes its destruction, sometimes its the exact opposite. So for now I'd say nothing in particular." He said this nonchalantly, but even Kagemaru could feel the darkness inside the human's heart.

"Where..." Nightshroud turned his head towards Atticus who forced himself up and glared at Nightshroud. "Where is Fujiwara?!" He ran at Nightshroud, drawing back a fist to hit him in the head.

However, in the blink of an eye, Nightshroud's Duel Disk had curved and elongated properly, now properly resembling a scythe. He grabbed Atticus' fist with his right hand and held the absurdly sharp blade at his throat.

"Fujiwara..." Nightshroud said in what could be interpreted as remembrance, before his mouth curled upwards. "Now I remember, but I won't tell you..." He said, pushing Atticus back, and raised a hand at him.

"_**I'LL SEND YOU TO HIM!" **_And in a moment a pillar of darkness engulfed Atticus, whose cries eventually faded into the void, leaving Nightshroud, Kagemaru, Amnael and the remaining duelists of various dorms.

Nightshroud lowered his hand slowly and began walking in front of Kagemaru, the old man reprehensive. Then shocked as Nightshroud kneeled.

"The only reason I'm kneeling is because of my own reasons," Nightshroud raised a hand as a token to Kagemaru. "And because of them, I offer you my services, master." Kagemaru was surprised, but clutched the hand none-the-less.

"Well, if that's the case, we welcome you to the Shadow Riders, Nightshroud. We have much to do." As Nightshroud got up and walked away, Amnael turned to Kagemaru.

"You don't actually trust him do you?"

"Of course not. Look at him; the epitome of darkness itself," Kagemaru replied. "I had no idea that Atticus had that mask from this 'Fujiwara', but this Duelist may be useful in the future. And when his time comes we will eliminate him."

Nightshroud smirked as he kept walking, though unaware of the mutterings between the mortals.

'_**Perfect...' **_Nightshroud thought pleasantly as the darkness began to surpress Ryan Wicker's original personality, replacing it with something even more dark. _**'Just as planned. As soon as those fools are at their weakest points, I'll capture those mysterious Beasts and use their power for my own!'**_

-YUGIOHGX-

Uh oh. Nightshroud has formed an alliance with Kagemaru where they don't trust each other. Now begins the start of the Shadow Riders. By the way, this will feature some characters from other anime, such as Fairy Tail and Soul Eater.

And before anyone asks, Nightshroud will be using the Structure Deck 'Dragon's Roar', and the next chapter will be six months later, and Nightshroud encounters a strange world in the Shadow Riders' quest to gain the power to awaken the Sacred Beasts.


	2. Episode One: Grave Tidings

_**Nightshroud: Beasts of Darkness**_

_**Episode 1: Grave Tidings**_

-YUGIOHGX-

Nightshroud was currently lounging about newly-christened Abandoned Dorm. It had been six months since he had been given the power of the Darkness, and the dorm had since been shut down by the administration, but more from Kagemaru, to stop people interfering.

Since then, Nightshroud had been busy completing and creating his own deck using various ones from the various rare cards that Kagemaru had provided, creating a deck of dragons around his own style. It was pretty sweet, if he said so himself, and he did.

However, for several months he had been catching glimpses of something; a small burst of flame and red eyes, but he had not ignored it. Something was up, and as he looked at the Red Eyes Black Chick card, he knew it wouldn't be so easy to figure out.

And with that he fell asleep, into dreams filled with a blonde haired girl, thunder echoeing in the dream.

-YUGIOHGX-

Banner was currently looking over Nightshroud in his private Slifer Red room, a complex scrying spell in place due to Kagemaru's orders. His dark hair was in a ponytail and he was stroking Pharoah absent-mindedly.

He had to admit, he found this entity interesting; originating from a world long thought to be myth, where Monsters reigned and were actually physically-bound was astounding. His hands twitched; he really wanted to try an alchemetic formula, but knew it would be futal. For some reason he kept failing.

Besides, he could sense through his Shadow Charm that the host body for this Darkness was not completely supressed; he still controlled his body, but something about his soul was warped, and changed from before. Never before had he felt such _evil_ in an individual.

Nevertheless, he walked over to the computer and took a seat, making sure the door was locked behind him, waiting. Eventually, the screen flickered, and Kagemaru's image appeared on the small screen.

"_Hello, Amnael. What have you to report?" _Kagemaru asked. With a smile on his face, Banner answered.

"He certainly is promising. But he needs a test to prove he can be a powerful Shadow Rider." Banner left on a note while he thought. Suddenly, Kagemaru's voice cut through his mind.

"_Well, I know a place where he can be tested and can help revive the Sacred Beasts. The Gravekeeper's Dimension." _Banner was shocked; the Gravekeeper's Dimension was a very risky move, especially for Kagemaru to suggest.

"But master, that is a foreign dimension; even if he succeeds and passes the test, how will he know how to come back here?" Banner asked inquisitively. Kagemaru took a moment to answer.

"_Remember, the Gravekeeper's world holds a Shadow Charm which could help us in reviving the Beasts; your Tablet certainly got their attention several months ago." _Banner nodded and began to remember.

Even after being cursed by the Beasts, he had joined Kagemaru and after months of scouring the world for means to revive them, he had found an ancient tome embedded in the dirt near the Chamber.

When he had picked it up, he had seen the eye vibrate and glow gold, and he felt better before hearing a deep and monstrous roar from the Chamber behind him. He had informed Kagemaru, who said the presence of Shadow Charms would help to revive the Beasts while the Keys would unlock the tombs.

"Yes, I can see that now," Banner sighed though. "I'll inform him tonight and bring him there. Of course, I'll have to leave before the gateway opens." Kagemaru nodded on the screen; there was a drawback to visiting the Gravekeeper's Dimension; you could only enter and leave once before being trapped there.

"_Be sure to do that, and keep an eye on him; the last thing we need is a traitorous dog." _Banner frowned at the derogatory term but nonetheless nodded, and the screen flickered out of existence.

There was a lot about Nightshroud still veiled in mystery, and Banner knew they had only seen a fraction of his powers.

-YUGIOHGX-

Nightshroud awoke with a start as he heard a violent tapping noise, and while stretching , saw a floating orb. He approached it warily, ready to banish it to the Darkness, but held back. As soon as he got close enough, Banner's face appeared in it.

"Well, what do you want, _Banner_?" Nightshroud made extra sure to emphasize Amnael's cover name, to get a reaction, and he did; Banner flinched rather noticably.

"_Kagemaru has an assignment for you. Meet me near the old ruins of the island in two hours. Don't be late." _Then Banner flickered out of existence, as did the orb, and Nightshroud was left to his musings.

'_What assignment? It's been six months and I've only had two or three. Could this be a trap?' _He heard a cooing, and immediately looked to his right shoulder; the Red-Eyes Black Chick was sitting on it, attempting to lick him, though he shyed away.

Several hours ago he had discovered he could 'see' his Duel Spirit, a monster that was very important to him. So, since he had had hardly any contact for several weeks, he had attempted to understand what it was saying, and after many frustrating sessions and destroying parts of the basement, he had done it.

Now, he readied his Duel Disk and his Deck, in case Banner tried to pull something. It never hurt to be too careful, now did it? But before he walked upstairs, he remembered a folded up photograph that was in his trenchcoat, and pulled it out.

It was rather old, being taken about five or six years ago, and featured a younger him without his mask, dark eyes widened in happiness, his normal, inky black hair covering his forehead, but his hair, in retrospect, slightly resembled Kaworu Nagisa's. But his real attention was drawn to the blond girl beside him.

She was rather...unique in her hair and eye colour. She had shoulder-length caramel hair with no bangs covering her forehead. She also had a large wad of cloth secured over her left eye with medical tape; the result of an unfortunate accident several weeks prior.

For a while, he just looked at it and wallowed in the good old days, where Duel Monsters were just a passtime and no Darkness, no Nightshroud and no Abandoned Dorm. He felt angry at himself; he had let her think he was dead.

But it was necessary to secure the Sacred Beasts, and maybe when this mess was all over, he would reappear to her. As he stashed the photograph back into his breast pocket, and ascended through the entrance to his home, he looked in the direction of the yellow building.

'_Marie...wait for me.'_

-YUGIOHGX-

It didn't take him too long to get to the ruins, and since Kagemaru's lap dog wasn't there, he did some snooping of his own. These ruins were remarkably old and yet very firm and distinct. Before he was Nightshroud, he was very exploring-active, so he had discovered these not too long into his first year.

Yet, he could feel powerful magic flowing through them, like a heart beat. Boom-boom, boom-boom, boom-boom. He supposed whatever this assignment was, it involved the ruins somehow, else why had Banner even bothered to arrange a meet here?

"Well, it seems you got here earlier than expected," Nightshroud calmly turned around, ready to extend his Duel Disk into scythe form, but it just turned out to be Banner.

"What do you want?" He asked, before Banner merely walked into the 'square' of gold blocks, nearly opposite Nightshroud.

"Kagemaru has given the order for you to go to the Gravekeeper's Dimension, in order to retrieve an amulet." Nightshroud quirked an eyebrow under his mask.

"Amulet?" Banner nodded in agreement. "Being sent to a potentially dangerous dimension, for a freaking _charm_?"

"It has other properties; it is like my Tome," Banner said, holding up the golden tome with the Eye of Wjat in the center. Even as Nightshroud looked into the iris, it seemed to flash, and he was very nearly tempted to cover his eyes.

"As such, it can help to revive the Beasts asleep under the Academy. All you need to do is challenge the Chief to a Duel and win. But if you do not win, you will not be able to return to this dimension. Understand?" Banner asked. Nightshroud 'hmph'ed.

"Yeah sure; go in, challenge a guy to a Duel for a mystical artifact, get out and help revive powerful ancient spirits trapped in cards. What fun! Can't wait to start." Nightshroud said that last part in heavy sarcasm. Banner, not noticing any sarcasm, walked over to a normal-looking tile and placed his foot on it, then he turned back to Nightshroud.

"Are you ready?" Nightshroud sighed, before affirming his stance. "Alright, here you go!" Banner pressed down and ran away from the ruins, into the cover of the trees. A light caught Nightshroud's attention, and he resisted the urge to gasp.

Three suns were rotating; one was blue, another pink and one was pale yellow. As they seemed to spiral together, Nightshroud covered his eyes in pain, and yelled as the world disappeared into white light.

-YUGIOHGX-

When Nightshroud next opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the sight before him. There was an endless desert on every side of him, but as he faced forward, something seemed to phase into existence, and he was left wondering why he didn't notice it before.

It was a medium-sized Egyptian style town, with people walking around in it, as well as a large pyramid near the front, where he was, and he could also make out some sort of platform. He paused for a moment to consider his next move.

Banner had said nothing except about winning a Duel against some Chief and get a medallion to help revive the Beasts. He supposed the Chief would eventually find out who he was, so he just kept walking towards the town.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed before he found his way barred by spear-wielding soldiers, tanned and muscular in the unrelenting suns.

"Halt! What is your business here, stranger?" They asked suspiciously, and Nightshroud was nearly irritated by this obstruction.

"Buzz off strippers; I've got some business to take care of." He said shortly and attempted to push through, before they affirmed their hold on their spears.

"You shall not pass! Begone, before we take you to the Chief." This caught Nightshroud's attention; perhaps the Chief was the same person he had to Duel.

"Out of curiosity, does this Chief have a medallion with an eye design on it?" They seemed shaken; before they snarled at Nightshroud.

"How do you know about the Chief's sacred Charm? Speak, witch!" They attempted to stab him, but Nightshroud moved his body out of the way, before grabbed both of the spears. The soldiers attempted to wrench them free, before Nightshroud tightened his fists, and broke the spear tips off.

"Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way; I make sure you go to the Shadow Realm or you take me to this Chief. Which is it?" They gulped, and led the way. Nightshroud smirked.

'_**Just as planned!'**_

As they reached a manor house, they saw a bearded man , with an Egyptian headress on and a white tunic, talking with a garbed priest. He turned to the guards and Nightshroud, who stood there silently.

"Well, guards, who is this strangely dressed intruder?" He asked harshly, and the guards meekly answered Nightshroud had asked to meet him.

"Well then, what do you want?" The Chief fully turned, and Nightshroud caught the glimpse of the medallion. For a moment, he got a strange feeling about it before shrugging it off and pushing the guards aside.

"I'm here for that little medallion of yours, old man," Nightshroud held out his hand. "Now, give it here before I get impatient." All the citizens went silent, at the disrespectful tone of this intruder, and the shock of him challenging their ruler. The old man laughed.

"Hah! What makes you think I will agree to give it to you?" He asked sneeringly, and Nightshroud immediately answered back.

"I'm sure your loyal citizens wouldn't want to see their ruler turn down a challenge. And look like a coward." There was an inaudible 'oooh!' in the air as the Chief's face tightened and he snarled at Nightshroud, who smirked.

"Very well, but what is your name, challenger, that I shall inscribe on your tomb?" The Gravekeeper asked as they walked up on a platform, opposite of each other.

"My name is Nightshroud the Shadow Rider, and I'm gonna take that amulet of yours!" Nightshroud held his left arm in front of his face, in a claw position, and let his Duel Disk change into its active-scythe mode (like in Season 4 when the guy challenged Weevil and Rex). The Chief slammed his fist into a pillar, and pulled out a stone-cut Duel Disk.

They both drew five cards, beginning the Shadow Game.

"DUEL!"

_**Gravekeeper's Chief: **_4000

_**Nightshroud: **_4000

"Since I'm the new guy, I'll draw first!" Nightshroud drew a card, and added it to his hand. "Alright, I'll summon my Masked Dragon in Attack Mode!" A dragon rose from the black abyss below the temple, coloured pale with a strange, grinning mask. It opened its mouth and roared. (Masked Dragon/Level 4/Dragon/FIRE/Effect. ATK/DEF: 1400/1100.)

"Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Nightshroud place one card in the Spell/Trap Zone and ended his turn. "You might want to give up now, to spare yourself the pain."

"Well, you might be a Shadow Rider, but no-one has beaten me yet! I draw!" The Chief shouted, drawing one card. "Then I shall summon my Gravekeeper's Curse!" An Egyptian Priest emerged in a shower of light, clutching an ankh. (Gravekeeper's Curse/Level 3/DARK/Effect. ATK/DEF: 800/800.)

"And thanks to his ability, you take five-hundred points of damage!" The ankh grew larger, and it glowed with green energy, and held it out towards Nightshroud. A beam of green energy shot out and hit Nightshroud in the chest, who grunted.

_**Nightshroud: **_3500

"Then I activate Double Summon!" He held up a card with the image of a female mage summoning a mighty beast in a pillar of light.

"And I use it to summon my Gravekeeper's Assailant!" A masked woman appeared in a beam of blue light, holding a dagger in reverse grip. (Gravekeeper's Assailant/Level 4/Spellcaster/DARK/Effect. ATK/DEF: 1500/1500.)

"Now, attack his pathetic dragon with Stealth Slice Strike!" She disappeared like a shadow and reappeared with an elongated dagger, and slashed Masked Dragon, dispersing it into shards. Nightshroud covered his head against the debris and felt a slight pain as the attack affected him.

_**Nightshroud: **_3400

He smirked, before speaking at the Chief's inquisitive face. "Sorry, but I activate Masked Dragon's ability! When this card is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon one Dragon from my deck with fifteen-hundred or lower attack points!" Nightshroud took his Deck out of his Duel Disk, and briefly skimmed through it before choosing one monster.

"And I choose my Armed Dragon Level 3!" A green baby dragon arose, with green scales intercoloured with yellow, and gave a pathetic roar. (Armed Dragon LV3/Level 3/Dragon/WIND/Effect. ATK/DEF: 1200/900.)

The Gravekeeper's Chief had an ugly look on his face at this before setting one card. "I set one card face down and end my turn!" A facedown card appeared on his field.

"I draw!" Nightshroud shouted, before casting his arm at his only monster. "Now I activate my Armed Dragon's ability! By sending it to the Graveyard, I can summon his big brother, Armed Dragon Level 5!"

The green dragon shattered into shards, before they reformed into a bigger dragon, black where green and red where yellow. It also had numerous spikes along its frame. (Armed Dragon LV5/Level 5/Dragon/WIND/Effect. ATK/DEF: 2400/1700.)

"And then I activate his ability! By discarding one Monster in my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one monster on the field with more or less Attack Points to the monster discarded! And I choose your Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

"Go, Shrapnel Blast!" Armed Dragon roared as the spikes all over its body ejected from itself and hit the female monster, destroying it. "Now attack his Curse with Infernal Roar!" It took a stance and roared, sending a tremendous shockwave at the other monster. The Chief covered his head and hiseed at Nightshroud.

_**Gravekeeper's Chief: **_2400

"I end my turn." Nightshroud announced before smirking. "Well, Chief, you don't look so good. I mean, you might tire out soon." He mocked the elderly Chief, who grunted.

"Do not be cocky as to think you will win! Draw!" He drew a card, and he had a smirk on. "First I activate the Field Spell, Necrovalley!" Suddenly, all around them the desert was replaced by various pillars of rock, and a green mist inhabited the area. Nightshroud looked around in curiosity.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's the effect of the card?" Nightshroud asked curiously. The Chief had a huge smirk.

"Its effect is quite devastating! When this is in play, all Gravekeeper monsters gain 500 Attack and Defense Points, and all Spell, Traps and Monster Effects that affect the Graveyard are negated!" _Now_ Nightshroud paid attention to what the old man was saying.

"What!" The Chief smirked again, this time like the God Set.

"Yes, so whatever that facedown is, you won't be able to use it! Now I activate from my hand Tribute to the Doomed!" The card had the image of a mummy wrapping up a dead man on it.

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one monster. And I choose your Armed Dragon!" Many bandages appeared and wrapped around the dragon, who while wrapped was trying to escape before being pulled into a sarcophagus. Nightshroud gave a 'hn' in response.

"Now I summon my Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" An Egyptian armed with a spear arose to the field, with a vicious grin on his face. (Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier/Level 4/Spellcaster/DARK/Effect. ATK/DEF: 1500/1000.)

"And thanks to Necrovalley, he gains five-hundred Attack and Defense points!" Now, the green haze covered the Spear Soldier, bumping up his stats to 2000 and 1500. "Now, my soldier, attack this heretic directly! Lunging Spear Assault!" The Soldier leapt at Nightshroud, drawing back the gold spear in his hand.

'_This is gonna hurt!' _Nightshroud thought, and right he was. As the Soldier slashed him, he cried out and fell down on one knee.

_**Nightshroud: **_1400

"Now, maybe you should be the one giving up, boy!" The Chef gave a harsh laugh alongside his Soldier, both cackling as Nightshroud slowly got back up.

"Just end your turn, old man!" The Gravekeeper had another smirk on his face at this comment. "Very well, I shall! First I activate my Trap, Rite of Spirit!" The card had an image of Curse, Assailant and Spear Solider praying to a snake statue, their weapons raised.

"With this Trap, I can summon one monster with 'Gravekeeper' in its name from my Graveyard! And I choose my Gravekeeper's Curse!" He shouted as the ankh-wielding priest rose again, now with 1300 Attack and Defense Points. Now, Nightshroud protested.

"Hang on! I thought Necrovalley negated all Spells, Traps and Monster Effects that involve the Graveyard!" The Gravekeeper's voice had a condescending tone to it now.

"Yes, but this card's activation and effect are unaffected by Necrovalley! And since my Curse was summoned again, you take five-hundred points of damage a second time!" The same green blast hit Nightshroud in the chest and he collapsed again on his knee, swearing heavily beneath his breath.

_**Nightshroud: **_900

"Now, perhaps you should be the one to give up!" The Gravekeeper called out, but Nightshroud perservered and got up again.

"No way you old fossil! I'll be the one to win this duel!" Nightshroud shouted in return as he prepared to draw before the Gravekeeper stopped him.

"Very well. I end my turn." The Gravekeeper's Chief said, and control switched to Nightshroud. "I should be careful if I were you; I have in my hand a card powerful enough to finish you!" He shouted proudly.

"It doesn't matter; any card can be beaten by another, and I'm gonna prove it!" Nightshroud cried out, but he looked at his deck for a moment, and then his hand.

'_**I have what I need to win, but I'll need that one card to help. God, I **_**hate **_**praying to luck, but help me now!'**_ He drew the card, and looked at it. He smirked at the Gravekeeper, who had a face full of foreboding.

"Now, I activate Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two more cards." He held a card with the image of a greedy-looking pot, and two cards coming out of it.

Nightshroud drew two and immediately gained a malicious smirk. " Yes...this turn will be your last! For I summon, my Red Eyes Black Chick in Attack Mode!" A flaming red egg appeared in front of Nightshroud. It began to crack before a chibi-Red Eyes Black Dragon popped out and gave a cute giggle and a puff of fire. (Red-Eyes Black Chick/Level 1/Dragon/DARK/Effect. ATK/DEF: 800/500.)

The Gravekeeper laughed at the weakling monster. "How could you possibly hope to defeat me with such a weak-looking monster? Clearly, my skills have left you desperate!" The Chick began to cry, and Nightshroud just smirked again.

"It's his effect that really interesting; see, I can sacrifice him to begin his growth spurt." The Gravekeeper lost the cocky grin, and looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" Nightshroud gave a low sneer.

"I mean I send him to the Graveyard to summon from my hand, _**RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!**_" Flames burst into existence and wrapped around the baby Black Dragon, and the Gravekeeper had to shield his head from the heat. Meanwhile, Nightshroud just laughed maniacally.

Eventually, the flames became a single shape, and out of that shape came a huge, monsterous dragon black as coal, and with eyes as bright as rubies. It saw its masters opponent, and gave a huge, bellowing roar. (Red-Eyes Black Dragon/Level 7/Dragon/DARK. ATK/DEF: 2400/2000.)

"This is the dragon that shall end this duel! Prepare to be burned for all of eternity!" Nightshroud gave a cackle, as the mask once again gave power to him. The Gravekeeper looked confused before he laughed at Nightshroud, who now was silent.

"Hah! Do not make me laugh! I admit that your overgrown lizard with wings is indeed powerful, but I still have twenty-four hundred Life Points left! Even if you attack my Curse, I will still have enough Life Points to survive to next turn!" Nightshroud merely pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

"Not after I activate my facedown, the Spell Card known as Inferno Fire Blast!" The card depicted Red-Eyes firing a huge sphere of flames at the opponent.

The Gravekeeper looked confused again before turning his attention to Nightshroud. "And what exactly does this 'Inferno Fire Blast' do?" When Nightshroud started chuckling, he began to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"I'm glad you asked! By selecting one Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field, I can inflict damage to you equal to its Attack Points!" The Gravekeeper now had a look of horror. Nightshroud laughed again.

"That's right! I've won this duel! Go Red-Eyes, wipe out his Life Points with Inferno Fire Blast!" The mighty dragon complied, sending a huge sphere of flames at the Gravekeeper, who cried out in agony before he collapsed, burnt all over.

_**Gravekeeper's Chief: **_0

_**Nightshroud: **_900

Their Duel Disks deactivated and Nightshroud pocketed his Deck into his holder. "Heh, now, hand over that little key we wagered." He began to walk around the side to the Gravekeeper, whose guards now came to attention, growling. Nightshroud tensed, ready for a fight, before the Chief held up a hand.

"No." The guards looked surprised before the Chief explained. "We made a deal; and I intend to honour it." The guard tore off the medallion and casting it to Nightshroud, who caught it in his right hand.

He looked at it for a moment, before he did the unexpected; he broke it in half. Everyone present was shocked, before Nightshroud threw one of the pieces back to the Chief, who looked even more shocked.

"There's no point in me taking it all; I just need a piece of it, that's all." Nightshroud turned his back, beginning to walk away before he stopped and cocked his head. "Exactly how do I get back to my dimension?"

"Your friend will show you the way." The Gravekeeper said, and Nightshroud was about to rebuff him before Black Chick emerged from his Deck, and pointed upwards. He looked up; the three suns were converging.

"You must hurry if you wish to go back to your world. Now be gone before I change my mind!" The Chief needn't threaten him like that, as Nightshroud sensed the emergency, and began to run the opposite way to the way he had came, following his Duel Spirit.

Meanwhile his face gained his trademark smirk. _**'Perfect. If I could beat the Gravekeeper, then someone else can. Next time someone visits here, I bet Banner'll want to test them!' **_

They eventually reached a wood, with a towering obelisk similar to the ones at the Academy, and just as he managed to touch it, his world went white again.

-YUGIOHGX-

When he came to, he was facedown in the dirt. Groaning, he pulled himself up, and found his half of the medallion in his right hand. He looked down at it before he heard a rustling, and Banner stepped out into the ruins, cautious.

"Well, did you get it?" Nightshroud held up the half as proof, but Banner frowned in response to that.

"I thought there was a complete medallion?" In order to cover his plans, Nightshroud merely grunted in displeasure.

"I won the duel, but the Gravekeeper said there was only that half left, as the other had been lost. I didn't know it was supposed to be a complete one!" And he swore a storm to fool Banner, who actually looked convinced.

"Well, you managed to bring half, and that's better than nothing I suppose." All of a sudden, the two Charms emitted a gold light, and Banner cried out as a red shape roared in the sky, devoid of features other than its shape. A similar yellow one joined it, and they screeched together.

Both of them looked up at them in wonder, and then Nightshroud knew what power they held inside them. The power to conquer.

For his journey to claim those magnificent Beasts and their power had just begun.

-YUGIOHGX-

_**Six Months Later...**_

-YUGIOHGX-

"Alright Syrus, we're here!" Shouted a fifteen year old boy wearing a red blazer and with hair that looked like a Kuriboh-Jaden Yuki. He had a small suitcase with him. A silver-haired boy with glasses joined him shortly, and they both looked at the building for Slifer Reds.

By all means, it was a dump. It was only two stories and desperately needed cleaning by the looks of it. In fact, compared to Ra Yellow and especially Obelisk Blue, it was just a tool shed. Syrus sighed.

"Oh man, we're in the outhouse! Just our luck!" Syrus said despairingly before jumping as someone shouted at them.

"Please, don't do that. You'll upset the birds..." Someone said in deadpan. They looked as someone exited the lower right room of the Dorm, and came into view, walking slowly and looking rather melancholic.

Like them, he wore a red jacket, but it was open like Jaden's. He had a black shirt underneath it with a yellow ring on the center. He also had the sleeves rolled upto his elbows. He had black hair and dark eyes, but looked rather miserable. Jaden, naturally, decided to intrude.

"Hey, I'm Jaden Yuki! We're the new Slifer Red students!" The boy just sighed and began to walk to a tree and sitting against it. "What's your name?" The teen seemed startled, before answering.

"I suppose you have to know. My name is Zeref Kokai. This is my second year here." Then Zeref seemed to tune them out as he watched the waves with his dark eyes, half-closed.

"Well, seeya Zeref!" Zeref didn't acknowledge the goodbye, and merely thought in peace as he usually did.

-YUGIOHGX-

"Hmm. Those new Duelists have potential. Especially that Jaden Yuki..." Zane Truesdale, thought as he sat at his desk in his Obelisk Blue room. He had never seen the Ancient Gear Golem, and was slightly surprised Jaden had managed to take it down so easily.

"Yeah, I saw that too, Zane," He turned his attention to his roommate, who was trying to sleep on the second bed. He had black hair that was spiky, and a barely-noticable scar just above his right eyebrow. Also, instead of a normal Obelisk Blue jacket, he wore a trenchcoat like one, with the middle zipped up. "Glad to see Crowler knocked down a few pegs."

That was the prevailing sentiment in minority of non-supremecist Obelisks. Crowler had always been mean and conniving, especially against Slifers. Sometimes, it was just sickening, but Zane and his roommate opted to stay out of most of the heat.

"You're right Gray; but now, Crowler's got Jaden in his sights. It's only a matter of time before he starts to plan revenge." Zane said thoughtfully, before adjusting his Deck before dinner. Gray merely shifted his arms and looked up at the blinding-blue painted ceiling.

-YUGIOHGX-

"Well, I must say, the Dorm is simply fabulous!" Bastion Misawa said, as he and the other entrants into Ra Yellow entered the lobby. Fittingly, most of the Dorm was painted yellow, but with some green and brown mixed in for the stairs.

'_I wonder what the area of the Dorm is? I must find out sometime.'_ See, besides being incredibly smart, Bastion had a hobby of finding out various things using mathematics. They heard someone say 'hello!' and most of them were boggled eyed.

A girl aged around fifteen was walking down the stairs. She wore the Ra Yellow jacket, but with a custom skirt and thigh-length black socks. She also had caramel-coloured hair without any bangs, honey-coloured eyes and a eyepatch on her left eye, with a thunder symbol in the middle.

"My name is Marie Mjolnir, and I'm your guide for the Dorm before dinner. Before anyone asks," as several boys had nearly wolf-whistled. "I got into Ra Yellow legally and there is a wing for girls, which hasn't been fully implemented yet. So if you would just follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

So she had led them around, and soon Bastion found himself in his room, and he inspected it. It was medium sized, comfortable and a modern computer installed on the desk. Instead of focusing on the utilities, he sized up the walls, and he smiled.

"Perfect; just right for my writings." So Bastion began to unpack his stuff, and placed all of his cards in the safe.

-YUGIOHGX-

Marie collapsed, tired out of her mind into her seat in her room, similar to Bastion's. She honestly wondered where Azusa was, before remembering she was off on an errand.

'_That's the last time I offer to be a tour guide!' _ She thought wryly before taking a bottle of water out of her mini-fridge and gulped down half of it in one go. After, her eye landed on an old photograph and she grew thoughtful.

It featured her about six years younger, and a few weeks after an accident that took her left eye. Even now she could feel the phantom pain and her eye itched. But it was the boy who took her attention.

He had neat dark hair and caring brown eyes, and they were both laughing at some joke. She felt tears come on, at the unbidden memories.

For the boy, Ryan Wicker, had disappeared one year ago today.

'_Ryan...' _She thought tearfully. _'I miss you...'_

-YUGIOHGX-

_**So, Nightshroud pwned the Chief, and we see some cameos of characters from other franchises that I promised. If anyone can see the references to other series and put it into a review, they get a free cookie!**_

_**Next time, on Nightshroud Beasts of Darkness! Episode Two: The Abandoned Dorm! The Archfiends Rampage!**_


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